Metaphysical Premises And Types Of Liberal Ideology: Liberalism As The End And Liberalism As The Way

3739 words - 15 pages

Metaphysical Premises And Types Of Liberal Ideology: Liberalism As The End And Liberalism As The Way

ABSTRACT: The problem of choosing the way for our country unavoidably brings us to a discussion of the problem of liberalism. At first glance, this should not be a problem since liberal principles underlie Western society and are the basis of the modern world order. But this opinion is not shared by all intellectuals in Russia. First is the specificity of the Russian mentality, social consciousness and social life. The idea of 'Russia's own way' is much referred to by various political movements of pronounced nationalist color, but we have to study this idea at its deepest level rather than ...view middle of the document...

First of the two is specificity of Russian mentality, Russian social consciousness, and generally all Russian social life. The idea of Russia's own way is, true, much used by various political movements of pronounced nationalist color, but we have to study this idea to the most possible deepness to not be oversimplifying the reality. It was common among all political groups and movements to state Russia's special historical fate and ways. Even the most westernly oriented political thinkers, though insisted on the adoption of Western values and standards, strongly criticized European civilization at the same time (so did Hertzen in his late years, for example). It was as if Russia, after having adopted the said values, had to show true way to the Western society itself, true meaning of its mental achievements discredited by the real things in the life of the West. So the difference between the Westernly oriented and the nationalist political people was a mere difference in understanding Russia's specificity and where it lies exactly, no the specificity as a fact. We even may cite Lenin's plan of building the socialism separately in Russia for she was, in his opinion, a unique country, the weakest link of the world imperialist chain.

The other reason why we should think the problem exists is that the same term of liberalism does not mean any simple thing. Being rather complex ideological system, liberalism has much diverged in the course of evolution, both in theory and in political practice. We can see at least three different forms of liberal ideology. First, classic liberalism as developed by J.Lock; second, liberalism of the break of century that combined the ideal of liberty with that of social equity and so accepted the necessity of the State's active intervention into social processes; last, so-called new liberalism, propagated specially by F.Hayek, who declared the above intervention harmful, which is exactly opposite to the preceding socially oriented liberalism. The fact of the two concurring forms of liberal ideology in the 20th century evidences that some kind of crisis takes place, so the problem of choice could not be thought too simple even for Western old democratic societies, the more for Russia that is not.

In our current disputed about the right way, the problem under consideration is adequately assessed as being not simple, but without any sufficient results in understanding deep reasons of the choice to be made, which is commonly treated as a mere more or less effective means of solving current political problems. However, the principles of social organization are strictly coordinated with very fundamental truths of existence and final reasons of man's being. This is why have we to analyze the metaphysical promises of corresponding political doctrines. For the purposes of this paper, the most significant is the analysis of liberal ideas made by Russian religious philosophers of late 19th and early 20th century, first and...

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